Yes, it is mandatory. The lift standards in force require that someone trapped in a car can hold a two-way voice conversation with an outside rescue service. An alarm button that only rings a bell does not meet this: there must be a system with a person answering at the other end, able to hear the passenger and to show them their call has been received.
Which standards cover this?
Lift safety does not sit in a single text; communication is where three standards meet.
- EN 81-20
- General safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts. Sets out, as a framework, that a means of emergency communication must exist in the car.
- EN 81-28
- Remote alarm on passenger and goods passenger lifts. This is the text that details how the communication must actually work.
- EN 81-70
- Accessibility for all users, including people with disabilities. Concerns whether the alarm can be used by passengers with sight or hearing impairments.
What does EN 81-28 require in practice?
The detail lives in the standard itself, but these are the headings that matter in the field:
- Two-way voice communication between the car and a permanently manned rescue service
- The passenger being able to tell that their call has been received — a one-way alarm sound is not enough
- The rescue service being able to identify which lift the call came from
- Filtering logic that screens out false alarms
- The system verifying by itself, at regular intervals, that its connection still works
- Backup power so communication keeps working for a period during a mains failure
This list summarises the headings we meet most often in the field; it does not replace the standard. The binding text is the current version of the standard — confirm with your notified body before inspection.
Isn't an alarm button and a bell enough?
No. A bell depends on somebody in the building hearing it. At night, at the weekend, or in an empty office block, nobody may. What the standard asks for is that the person in the car reaches a human being.
The difference is not only technical but legal: during periodic inspection the communication is actually tried. If nobody answers at the other end, the lift is recorded as defective.
Is an analogue line still a valid answer?
It can still work technically, but it is weakening on two fronts. Landline infrastructure is being phased out, so getting a line into a new building gets harder and more expensive every year. And every lift needs its own subscription — across a portfolio of ten lifts that means ten bills and ten points of failure.
The common answer today is a GSM-based intercom. There is one thing to watch there too: whether the device depends on a single network or can use more than one. We covered that in a separate post.
What is checked at periodic inspection?
Communication is usually tested live: a call is started from the car, and the inspector sees that someone answers and that a two-way conversation is established. Whether the device keeps working during a mains failure, and whether the correct lift is identified, are also checked.
The most common non-conformity is remarkably ordinary: the device is installed but the SIM subscription has lapsed or the line has been cut. That is why a system that can be monitored remotely, and that reports its own status, takes real weight off the operator.
Frequently asked questions
- Is emergency communication in a lift a legal requirement?
- Yes. The lift standards in force require that a trapped passenger can hold a two-way voice conversation with a permanently manned rescue service. A one-way alarm bell does not satisfy this.
- Is fitting an alarm button enough on its own?
- No. The button starts the call, but the standard also requires someone answering at the other end and the passenger being able to tell that the call has been received.
- Does lift communication have to use a landline?
- No. The standard does not mandate a connection type; it requires that two-way voice communication can be established reliably. Intercoms working over the mobile network meet this and need no line run to the building.